Behind the Scenes

🏡 Behind the Scenes – Ranch Layout Reflections

Just a few explanations about the layout sketches—originally featured in Appendix B & C of Smile-Mile Inheritance—they show the site plan and two phases of the house layout at the fictional dude ranch.
These drawings were part of my early planning process and helped shape the storyline from the ground up.
From the pasture with the water trough, to the Main House, barns, and windmill, each detail was drawn with care to support the faith-based journey of Thomas, Ella, and the others.
By sharing them in the book, I hoped to let you peek behind the scenes and see how the story was stitched together, one mile at a time.
As I wrote about the operation of the ranch, I realized there’s more to ranch life than what my characters were saying and doing.
I wanted your reader experience to include the true feelings of ranch life—even though it’s a fictional dude ranch.

Behind the Scenes – Ranch Electrical Layout 🐴

  As a licensed electrician for 10 years, I understood the importance of a large electrical panel to support the voltage demands of a ranch compound this size—especially with buildings spaced up to a mile apart.  This detail is thoughtfully woven into Smile-Mile Inheritance, when Ella walks the fictional property with her photographer, Paul.
He asks all the right questions, of course, and Ella—thanks to Uncle Charlie’s foresight—knows exactly what infrastructure is needed to power a working dude ranch - even this fictional one.
It’s a blend of practical planning and legacy, stitched into the story’s faith-based foundation.

🌻 Garden Legend – Welcome to My Dream Plot

My Garden
Sign over the entry gate

This half-acre garden (200 feet long by 100 feet wide) is marked as #20 on the site plan.
It includes a 60' x 40' Greenhouse (#19) and a 35' x 25' Chicken Coop (#18)—each lovingly imagined and often mentioned in Smile-Mile Inheritance.
The numbers listed here match the garden plot sketch, guiding you through each corner of this fictional ranch garden.

🌾 General Notes

• All the yards around My Ranch are planted with wild grass seeds—none are mowed.
  The animals take care of that: deer, horses, milk cows, goats, and other ranch companions.

• Every structure is fitted with gutters and rain barrels, storing water in tanks for practical use and sustainability.

And now lets get on with the description of each item in this fictional ranch garden, beginning with the:

1. Chicken Coop 🐓

Inside this faith-based ranch story, the chicken coop is a place of companionship, care, and daily rhythm. The main door to the coop is on the west side of the coop, facing the main house.
Built with straw bedding, nesting boxes, and a gentle ramp into the garden, it’s designed for both comfort and practicality.
Ella calls the chickens her friends, often spending quiet moments here—gathering eggs, sharing thoughts, and finding joy in their company. Maria and the dude ranch guests also find pleasure in this morning task, joining in the gentle ritual of gathering eggs and greeting the day with gratitude.

This coop reflects the spirit of Smile-Mile Inheritance: humble, heartfelt, and stitched with love. Listed are items within the coop:

a: Steep pitched roof, fully insulated, with solar panels

1: has enclosed vent stacks along top ridge for summer heat venting

b: Powered by solar and wind energy

1: battery storage at east wall

c: Overhead circulating fans

d: Overhead flood lights for winter roosting

e: Chickens free range inside the garden during summer months

1: corn kernels scattered about the garden to encourage them to find bugs too

2: outside water stations for free ranging chickens

f: Chicken nests on south wall, two levels

1: open to outside, each with its own ‘window shutter’ for gathering eggs

2: storage bins under 1st level of nests

g: Slotted flooring for clean up and radiant heating in winter

1: #6 - Under flooring is at an angel toward the trench on the north, 

2: with a revolving tarp for cleaning out the ‘poop’ [in 6 ft sections]

3: #7 - dung goes into the recycle bins and/or directly into the garden beds

2. Entry Door inside the garden to 🐓 Chicken Coop and Ramp 

4 ft wide at north side 

Inside this fictional ranch garden, the chicken coop is more than just a structure—it’s Ella’s favorite place to be.  She calls the chickens her friends, often chatting with them as she gathers eggs or watches them scratch in the soil.  The entry door and ramp offer easy access for both Ella and her feathered companions, reflecting the gentle rhythm of ranch life and the heart of Smile-Mile Inheritance. Here is a list describing the coop:

1: garden door 4 ft wide at center of west wall that opens to the veranda of the ranch house

i: North wall has the water and feeding stations

1: chickens are only feed their grain at sundown 

2: this brings them into the safety of the coop for the night

j: Natural tree branches for overhead roosting

1: running full length of central area of the coop

2: at varying levels for the ‘hierarchy’ of the flock

k: Triple pained windows on upper area of south and north walls

1: with winter storm shutters

L: Six foot by six foot hatchery at east end of coop

1: with storage cabinets above

3. Entry Gate Garden Area 🌿

This welcoming entry gate marks the beginning of the fictional ranch garden layout featured in Smile-Mile Inheritance.  A hand-painted sign reading “My Garden” hangs overhead, inviting visitors into a space of faith, simplicity, and seasonal beauty.  The gate opens to wild grasses, raised beds, and the gentle rhythm of ranch life—where Maria often begins her day in quiet reflection. Here is a list with descriptions of the various areas of this fictional ranch garden:

#9 - Perimeter fencing: 8ft tall

1: ‘deer proofed’: military coiled wire tops the whole perimeter, even over the entry gate.

2: ‘Rabbit proofed’: small chicken wire 4 feet down and ‘L’ shaped to the outside 

#10 - Openings in lower area of fencing for chickens to forage for bugs

🌿#4 The Garden 🌿

This fictional ranch garden layout is Maria’s place of solace, often featured in Smile-Mile Inheritance.
Spanning a half-acre, it’s where vegetables grow alongside wildflowers, and chickens roam freely among the rows.
Maria finds peace here—tending to the soil, gathering eggs, and reflecting on life’s quiet blessings.
This garden reflects a lifestyle rooted in faith, simplicity, and the beauty of creation.  This list describes items found within the garden:

#7 & 8 - Recessed compost bins: two first year more added as needed

#11 - On inside of perimeter fence: vertical gardening walls and containers

1: for lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, etc.

2: some for herbs

#4 - Raised beds: concrete block [provides insulation for soil]

1: companion planting in each bed

2: four beds the first year and more added annually

3: some with overhead grid system for vertically climbing vining plants

4: raised beds use the ‘lasagna’ gardening soil techniques

5: all beds have drip system on timers

#4b - Raised beds with concrete blocks and wooden retractable sides 

1: for under ground plants - ie: beets, potatoes - Irish and sweet, etc

2: two the first year and more added later

#12 - 1/3 acre in field crops: corn etc

1: a few rows the first year and more added as needed

2: also oats, until farming area was established

AND: hanging on fence for strawberry plants are Old Levi pants

1: moved to greenhouse for winter

🌻🌼5. Greenhouse🌼🌻

In this faith-based fictional ranch setting, the greenhouse (60' x 40') is a place of growth and quiet reflection. It shelters tender seedlings and hearty vegetables, offering Maria as well as Ella a space to nurture both plants and prayer. Rain barrels collect water from the roof, echoing the ranch’s sustainable rhythm. Once again, I've provided a list of items found within this fictional ranch greenhouse. [yet real to me because it is my dream greenhouse]

a: Rounded steep pitched roof, fully insulated, 

1: with enclosed vent stacks along top ridge for summer heat venting

b: Lower pony walls fully insulated with R25

c: Upper walls triple pained windows with shutters for winter storm use

d: Overhead circulating fans

e: Powered by solar and wind energy; 

1: battery storage at east wall

f: Entry doors, one to outside the perimeter and two into the garden

1: each door 4 ft wide

g: Storage cabinets on east walls

h: Full plumbing through out

1: each row has faucets

2: all faucets on timers

3: overhead misting system for summer months

i: Small ‘latrine’ at east wall

j: Work benches in various areas through out [6 stations]

k: All raised beds: concrete block with vertical wall for planting

1: four the first year, more as needed

l: Hanging planters fulling insulated

m: Strawberry ‘pants’ brought in for the winter

n: All pathways have radiant floor heating

o: with fake grass covering and are washable

p: drainage system recycles water to holding tank inside building